Surgical cleansing apparatus.



C. E. KELLS.

SURGICAL CLEANSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 4. I916.

Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

QM/rm: @Qf/ 551;; 1 0 WW CHARLES EDMUND KELLS, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA SURGICAL CLEANSING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 391%.

' Application filed March 4, 1918. Serial No. 82,174.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES EDMUND KELLs, a citizen of the United States, residing in New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surgical Cleansing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for treating wounds and diseased cavities or other parts of the human or animal body requiring cleansing or treatment with anesthetic or medical fluids, and it consists of novel means whereby blood, pus and other fluids may be automatically or mechanically removed from such wounds or cavities, and also whereby such parts may be etherized or otherwise treated with fluids or vapors when re uired.

sis well understood, after many surgical operations blood, pus and other fluids are allowed to flow from the unhealed part for several days or until the wound is healed. It is necessary in such cases to frequently change the surgical dressings of these wounds which is not only troublesome and uncleanly, but very unpleasant and uncomfortable to the patient. Despite these objections this practice is still followed, although several ways of mechanically draining the wound and simplifying the bandaging operation have been tried. l have devised apparatus which experience has demonstrated is most eflicient and which not only effectively drains the wound or cavity, but also serves to convey thereto fluids or vapors for healing or relief purposes.

Briefly stated, my invention consists in withdrawing diseased or polluted substances from the wound or cavity by means of a partial vacuum which is maintained for short periods between other periods when the suction is suspended.

The invention also consists in novel apparatus whereby this operation is automatically performed; and further the invention consists in an apparatus comprising a pump driven by an electric motor, the circuit of which is controlled by circuit making and breaking devices by which the motor may be made to run continuously or intermittently at desired intervals and during definite periods. Such apparatus is also'so constructed that it may operate to not only withdraw continuously or at intervals diseased or polluted substances from the body,

is a perspective view of apparatus embodying some of my improvements in which a vacuum pump driven by an electric motor is connected by way of a receiver to a tip adapted to be inserted in a wound or cavity. This figure of the drawings also shows means for intermittently or automatically opening and closing the circuit of the motor. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the preferred .form of tip employed. Fig. 3 shows a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of a circuit making and breaking device which may be employed. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modified form of circuit making and breaking device. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of apparatus somewhat similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but embodying also means for conveying to the tip heated ether or other such fluid or vapor.

The apparatus may be mounted on a baseboard A which may be of small dimensions as the parts which it carries are all of small size. The combined electric motor and vacuum pump B is made fast to the baseboard and current is supplied to the motor by wires 6, 1). Current enters at b and by means of a wire .0; passes to the motor and from the motor the current passes by. a wire :0 to a branch wire :0 connected to snap Y to a second snap switch Y, and a wire 3 connects the switch Y with a clock 0 (or the shaft 0), which latter carries a contact disk D engaging a contact finger E on a base e and connected by a wire' q to the wires .22, w A wire r connects the wire 3 with the line wire I). Y

The contact disk D, shown in Fig. 4, is made of insulating material and it is fixed to the shaft 0 of the clock C. Said disk is provided with a series of contact blocks or plates 0? connected by wires d to the shaft 0. These blocks 03 are set in recesses in the periphery of the disk and the finger E bears on the periphery of the disk and is adapted to also make contact with the outer ends of the blocks. The pump B is connected by means of a tube M with a pipe L extending into a jar or receiver K. A pipe J leads out from this jar and is connected with a switch Y. A wire 3/ leads from the switch I tube I which carries on its outer end a tip F adapted to be inserted in the wound or cavity. It is obvious that if a partial vacuum be produced in the pump air, fluid or vapors will be drawn through the tube I, jar K, tube M and will pass out through the discharge port m of the pump. Liquids or solid substances will be deposited in the jar.

If the pump be actuated continuously the operation will be continuous, but I have provided means whereby the action of the pump may be made intermittent. Assuming that the disk D is made to revolve once in every hour, it is obvious from the construction shown in Fi 4 that the circuit of the pump motor will be closed once in every fifteen minutes or thereabout. It is further obvious that inasmuch as the contact finger E will bear on any one contact d for only a limited time, the circuit of the motor will be closed for onlyga short time during each fifteen minutes. I have found this operation to be desirable as the fluids may be withdrawn from the wound or cavity in a short time. The withdrawing operation may then be suspended until the fluids accumulate and may then be again automatically withdrawn. It is obvious that the pcriods between the withdrawing operations may be varied. While I have shown four contact blocks d, a less or larger number could be used, or the disk might be geared to revolve more than once an hour or less.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a form of contact device in which the contact blocks or fingers d are pivotally connected with the disk D and are held in place by thumb screws d By this means any desired number of contact blocks or fingers may be thrown into or out of operation. 1 The construction is also such that the periods during which contact is made between the blocks or fingers and the contact finger E may be changed. Each of the contact devices d has two contact ends. In Fig. 5 the smaller ends are outermost and are adapted to engage the finger E, but each of said fingers d is adapted to be reversed so that its larger end may be made to engage the finger E and thus prolong the time during which the motor is actuated. By thus draining or treating wounds or cavities I am able to largely dispense with the usual system of surgical dressings and am also able to save much time and attention which is usually given to the patient, and am able furthermore to make the patient more comfortable and to afford relief in a shorter time.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the preferred form of tip. This is specially constructed to prevent the collapsing of the walls of the wound or cavity when a partial vacuum is formed therein and it is also made soft and flexible in order to insure comfort as far as possible than the tube 9 and to the patient. The outer tube f, which is flexible, it preferably being made of rubber, is perforated at f as shown. The inner tube (3:, which is slightly shorter than the outer tube, is also referably made of rubber or other flexilile material. It is connected by a bent metallic tube 9 with the tube I (Fig. 1). This tube 9 passes through a short sleeve g which is larger in diameter permits the entrance of air, as indicated by the arrows. This sleeve 9 is attached to a bent metal holder H which is adapted to be attached to the body of the patient by adhesive tape or otherwise. When suction takes place the fluids pass through the tube G and tube I to the receiving jar K, while air enters'through the sleeve g and passes out through the perforations f in the tube f and thus prevents the collapsi'ng of the walls of the wound or cavity.

It is sometimes desirable to force anesthetics or other fluids or vapors into the wound or cavity. In Fig. 6 I have shown apparatus whereby this may be done and whereby also fluids may be withdrawn from the wound.. The apparatus shown in Fig. 6 is supported on a base-board. A as before. B indicates a motor-driven pump, T a jar containing cotton or other filtering material, U an electric heater, V a jar containing ether, 0 a jar adapted to receive pus or other fluids from the wound or. cavity, and Q a wash-bottle which may contain a solution of caustic potash and potassium permanganate in water. The clock C operates a contact disk D carried on the shaft 0 0f the clock, and the contact disk D, which is similar to that shown in Fig. 4, cooperates with a contact finger E. b, b indicate wires supplying current from the main line. The wire 7) is connected by a wire as to a branch wire :2 leading to the snap switch Y, and this switch is connected by a wire m with the motor B. A wire 00 leads from the'motor to the line wire I). The switch Y is connected by means of a wire y with the clock, and the contact finger E is connected by the wire 1 with the wire m By these devices the motor may be actuated continuously or intermittently. If the switch Y is set to close the circuit current will pass from b to wire :11, thence through switch Y to wire 00 then to the motor and thence by wire m to line wire I). On the other hand, if the switch Y is set to closethe circuit current will pass from b to a, thence to 3 and through the switch Y to the clock, thence to contact finger E and wire 3 to the motor and from the motor by way of wire m to the line wire b. When such are the conditions the motor will be intermittently operated in the manner before described and it will be observed that the contacts d, d are such that the circuit of the motor is suddenly broken which is advantageous.

A tube N leads from the tip F to a pipe at in the jar O which is adapted to receive pus or other fluids from the wound or cavity. Air passes from the jar by way of a pipe p to a tube P connected to a pipe 9 entering the wash-jar Q before referred to. A pipe 0" leads from this jar and is connected by a tube R to the vacuum pump. A tube S leads from the vacuum pump to the filter jar T being connected to a pipe 8 which extends into this jar. 2? indicates a pipe extending out of the jar and connected by a pipe t to the electric heater U. This pipe t. passes through the heater and is connected to a tube u attached to a pipe at entering the ether jar V from which passes a pipe 1; connected with a tube W attached to a tip F. This apparatus is so organized that pus and other fluids may be withdrawn from the Wound or cavity and at the same time an etherizing or anesthetic agent may be conveyed thereto. The circulation may be made continuous. When the apparatus is arranged as shown in Fig. 6, fluids or vapors entering the tip first pass to the jar O where fluids other than vapors are deposited. Vapors pass by way of the tube P to the jar Q where such vapors are treated or washed with antiseptic solutions, and from this jar the vapors pass to the pump, Such vapors pass out of the pump and enter a filter T, although it is not always necessary to use filtering material. The vapors then pass through the heater U and thence proceed to the ether jar V and finally pass out through the tip F. It is, of course, obvious that the apparatus may be used solely for the purpose of withdrawing fluids from the wound or cavity, or it may be used solely for the purpose of conveying vapors or fluids thereto. It will be noted that two separate tips F F are employed but both of these tips may be inserted into the same cavity and the vapors or fluids may circulate in the manner before described. A cook 23 may be included in the vapor line and is preferably located at the inlet of the ether Jar V as shown. By this device the amount of vapor to be delivered through the tip may be controlled.

The pump employed is of small dimensions and is simple in construction. It is furthermore practically noiseless. I have found that by reducing the area of the outlet of the pump noise is materially lessened. Experience has demonstrated that by making the outlet of the pump materially smaller in diameter than that of the inlet, the amount of fluid withdrawn from the wound or cavity is not reduced but the noise of the operation is materially lessened.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus for treating wounds or cavities, comprising a tip adapted to be inserted into the wound or cavity, a receiving jar to which the tip is connected, an electrically driven vacuum pump connected with said jar, and time-controlled circuit making and breaking devices connected with the motor for successively and automatically closing the circuit of the motor for definite lengths of time between periods when the circuit is open.

2. An apparatus for treating wounds and cavities, comprising a tip adapted to be inserted into the wound or cavity, a receiver to which the tip is connected, an electrically driven vacuum pump connected with the receiver, a contact disk, time controlled mechanism connected therewith, adjustable contact devices carried by the disk, a contact finger adapted to engage said contact devices, and circuit connections whereby the motor circuit is automatically opened and closed at intervalsand during predetermined periods.

3. An "apparatus for treating wounds and cavities, comprising a tip adapted to be in; serted into the wound or cavity, a receiver connected therewith, a vacuum pump connected with the receiver, a container for an anesthetic, connections between the container and the outlet side of the pump, and connections between said container and said tip whereby fluids may be passed through the tip into the wound or cavity and be also withdrawn therefrom.

4. An apparatus for treating wounds and cavities, comprising an electrically driven vacuum pump, a tip adapted to be inserted into a wound or cavity, a receiver connected with said tip, a container for a washing fluid connected with said receiver, a connection between said container and the inlet side of the pump, a container for an anesthetic connected with the tip, a connection between said last mentioned container and the outlet side of the pump, and a heater interposed in said connection for raising the temperature of the fluid passing from the pump to said last mentioned container.

5. A tip for surgical apparatus comprislng an inner outlet tube open at its inner end, an outer perforated tube of greater diameter than the inner tube, a sleeve attached to the outer tube through which air is admitted to the inside of the outer tube, and means carried by the sleeve for attaching it in operatiVe position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

WM. H. PABCOE, EDWARD KEENA. 

